22 - Harvest Moon Viewing

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Harvest Moon Viewing
When: September 10, 6 PM
Where: The Meeting Hall grounds
Summary: The Heavens are throwing a moon-viewing party!







Party Games

Children are dashing all over the moon-viewing grounds in the early evening, flying kites or playing tag and other games. Many of them are wearing cute seasonal rabbit masks made of paper, or sporting ink curlicues and scribbles drawn over their faces, if they've lost too many games.

Card games and spinning top battles, a few practice archery butts towards the edge of the park, poetry-composing competitions, and even badminton: there's something for everyone, and anyone who doesn't look too busy may find themselves offered a rabbit mask and a game to play. Or perhaps you'd like to try your hand at drawing people into your own game?

Moon Viewing

The moon rises not long after sunset, looming over the garden in hazy golden and red splendor thanks to the volcanic fumes in the atmosphere. The games are winding down as darkness falls, and the faint scent of burning incense fills the air as people settle to view the moon rise. Shinki in their festival best, adorned with Amaterasu's golden chrysanthemum, are serving the guests. They set out trays of fresh seasonal fruit (Japanese pears, persimmons, and chestnuts) and plates of mochi, serve sake, and light portable grills to cook sweet potatoes and skewers of meat.

Mazed & Confused

Part of the grounds have been rearranged into a hedge-maze made of tall, plumed grasses packed close together. A sign at the entrance reads, "Bring back my ribbon from the center of the maze,
and I'll give you a special prize!"

Unfortunately, that's harder than it sounds. The maze is full of dead ends, confusing turns, and twisty little passages, which all look alike. It's almost magical how easy it is to lose your way inside, and the tufted grass will prove to have painfully sharp edges if anyone tries to cheat by pushing their way through the "walls" of the maze.

Those who successfully find their way to the center will find a white ribbon fluttering from the top of a tall pole. If they can climb the pole, pull the ribbon free, and make it back to the entrance, they will hear the sound of a child's laughter, and the ribbon in their hand will disappear to be replaced by a round cake of mochi. Enjoy the prize!

Wild Moon

One of the children participating most energetically in the games of tag and dashing around the party is wearing an oversized gray hoodie with the hood pulled up right to the edges of his happy rabbit mask. He's not being very careful, either: he keeps bumping into other party attendees and barely taking the time to mutter an apology before he sprints away.

Although nothing noticeable happens at the time, anyone who's been tagged or bumped into by that particular child will begin to feel more emotional, quicker to react, and less self-controlled as the night wears on. Those who he only brushed by won't be too powerfully affected, but the more times that he has run into someone, the stronger the effect will grow.

(Note: This won't cause anyone to have emotions that they wouldn't feel otherwise, but both ongoing moods and temporary reactions could be amplified.)

In Summary:

• Play party games
• Relax with snacks
• Try to solve the hedge maze
• Go wild
• Have fun~

Comments

[lostinshadows]

[He grins at him wryly.]

He was someone who knew me, Shun. Back when I was alive. [So, yeah, there's a connection that Lavi and risked himself over. The grin falls a bit and he eyes him for a moment. It does seem like he's about to say something, but opts not to.] Are you feeling any better, though?

[Because he originally came here to help Shun - not the other way around. He doesn't want to put his own problems on the god's shoulders, anyway.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[That sure does explain some things, though Shun's jaw tightens a bit at Lavi knowing that for a fact. Lavi's attempt to turn the conversation back on him is transparent as hell, though, and Shun shoots him a sidelong look.]

Not really. [Which just means he needs something else to preoccupy his thoughts, a subject which Lavi has previously helpfully offered anyway.] I'm guessing it wasn't her or him you mentioned being in romantic love with.

[He feels like he would have heard something from Lavi about one or other of them before this point. And it can't be Lavi's goddess, either, since he saw her just earlier.]

[lostinshadows]

.....

[He really had to catch onto that, didn't he?

There's a bit of a look.]

You get one free punch when you figure it out. [Because he's already bracing himself for the hurt that will come.] Because the one I had [have] feelings for was Yuto.

[revolutionfalcon]

[There is a rather long pause at that, because Shun did definitely suspect that was going to be the case already. But it's the kind of silence that comes before someone gets attacked by a beast hiding just out of view.

Straightening up from his own branch, Shun hops deceptively delicately over to Lavi's, dropping off it to hang from one arm so he can actually reach Lavi to punch him. And when he does, he pulls his free arm back and throws his fist forward towards his face more than hard enough to punch someone entirely off the branch if they're not very prepared.]

[lostinshadows]

[Lavi is entirely prepared for that - mostly since he told Shun that he did get one free punch for the revelation. Still, it does make his head jerk back from the force, holding onto the branch tight enough where he doesn't fall down. The pain flares from where he's been hit, but it's nothing he can't handle.

He simply groans quietly, rubbing the area.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[At the very least, Shun doesn't punch him again despite the fact that he looks very tempted to, and despite the fact that he's still holding his fist clenched. The remark he makes on the matter first, though, is definitely that of an overprotective sibling, or sibling figure in the case of Yuto.]

Yuto's fourteen. He's too young for that sort of thing. [Because he's Ruri's age, but Shun's just going to not mention that for the moment.]

[lostinshadows]

[Oh, he brought out the overprotective brother.]

It's not like I knew that. [Even if it was apparent Yuto was younger than him. At the same time:] And I doubt age would matter much to a shinki anymore.

[Hurray for not growing older.]

[revolutionfalcon]

He doesn't look that old. [And Shun is clearly not biased at all from knowing his actual age. Lavi does kind of have a point about the age thing for shinki, but Shun still looks unconvinced.]

Leave that excuse until you've been around longer. [Delicately avoiding the particular subject of Yuto, because Shun doesn't really want to know how being reminded of his death more than this would affect him tonight.]

[lostinshadows]

Right.

[So biased.

But he understands the inflection and he gives a nod.] In any case, I think I'll head back home and check in with my goddess to make sure she's okay.

[revolutionfalcon]

I saw her earlier, but that was before whatever this is started happening. [So playing a game with her earlier in the evening isn't necessarily a sign that Cardia would still be fine now. Shun can understand the want to do it, in any case.]

[lostinshadows]

All the more reason to find her. [Because if whatever happened got to the two of them, he doesn't even want to imagine how badly it'd affect Cardia. But he does give a nod to Shun before he finally drops from the tree branch and lands on his feet.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Probably. [Shun has a few people he should probably track down as well, but in this condition...maybe he should wait. He pulls himself back up into the tree as opposed to Lavi's dropping to the ground, and settles himself on the new branch as if nothing happened.]

[lostinshadows]

I'll see you later then, Shun.

[And with that, he'll take off to find Cardia.]